The present invention relates to a sealable, reusable pouch. More particularly the present invention relates to a packaging or shipping pouch having cushioning and absorbent material located therein.
It is desirable to have absorbent material inside of the bag or pouch in case of rupture of the bag or failure of the inner container so that materials located therein do not immediately spill out upon such rupture or failure, especially if hazardous type materials are located in the shipping bag. It is also desirable to have an absorbent material inside of the bag or pouch in case of rupture of the bag so that the materials located therein do not immediately spill out upon rupture, again especially if the materials are hazardous chemicals, etc.
A variety of bags, pouches, devices, and the like have been developed to cushion and protect objects located therein against damage from the elements, shock from dropping of the bag, etc. during the transportation and shipping of the object. For Example, U.K. Patent Application No. 2,085,401A discloses a composite bag for the vacuum packing of a product consisting of an inner bag made of a flexible plastic material and disposed within an outer bag made of metallic foil disposed between two foils of plastics material. In the '401A reference the inner bag is filled with the product to be packed and then is evacuated, and the inner and outer bags are then welded together along a seam. The '401A reference also discloses that when the composite bag is closed, air or an inert gas is confined in the space between the inner and outer bags, this air or inert gas acting as a cushion for protecting the packed product against damage and it is further disclosed that the inner bag is waterproof and the outer bag is gas proof and opaque. A cushioned bag was also described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,025 to Strzelewicz which discloses a cushioned bag having two adjacent multilayered sections, each section comprising an outer layer of flexible, tear-resistant, spun-bonded linear polyethylene fiber thermoplastic sheet material, a middle layer of polyolefin film, and an inner layer of flexible, thermoplastic sheet cushioning material, the sections being fused together along at least one edge of the bag to form a seamed edge comprising a fused bead.
Another bag developed to cushion and protect objects is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,997,289 to Sasaki et al. which teaches an overtape-sealed bag comprising a paper tube, having longitudinally opposite open ends, at least one of which is covered and sealed with a bifold overtape, the overtape is lined with a synthetic resin sheet which is bonded to an outer surface of the paper tube proximate an open end thereof with adhesive having penetrated an outermost layer of the paper tube so that a release resistance is established between the overtape and the outermost layer of the paper tube which is higher than a release resistance established between the overtape and an inner layer of the paper tube not penetrated by said adhesive. The unsealing of the bag in the '289 patent can occur between the outermost layer and the inner layer or along the inner layer itself. The '289 patent teaches that the paper bag has significantly improved rupture resistance and is sealed with high safety for transport and storage but ready for unsealing. Another device for cushioning an object is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,318 which teaches a device for cushioning an object having a quantity of granular material located in a retaining element which is divided into compartments which contain the quantity of granular material, the retaining element and granular material being located within an inner volume of a sealed housing. The '318 patent further discloses that the retaining element is made from a material that is permeable to gas but impermeable to the granular materials, while the sealed housing is made from a material that is impermeable to gas. The '318 patent further teaches that the object to be maintained is actually placed inside the sealed housing, directly in the granular material.
Bags, pouches, devices, and the like have also been developed to contain absorbent material located therein so that spillage or leakage of the fluids placed in the bag is prevented during the transportation and shipping of the material. For Example, Aoyama in U.K. Patent Application No. 2,117,736A teaches a container for liquid comprising an outerbox made of cardboard having a rectangular parallel piped shape when set up and flat when folded, and an inner bag made of a polymer film or sheet, the film or sheet of the inner bag being folded inwardly at the sides and at least the top and bottom ends thereof being sealed to thereby expand into a rectangular parallel piped shape to fit into the side of said outer box when filled with liquid, and being folded flat when empty. Another bag containing absorbent material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,632 to Caggiano which discloses a sealed bag container formed from laminated packaging material so that a dry environment may be maintained, comprising an outer imperforate moisture impervious layer defining an interior within, a middle moisture absorbent layer within said interior, an inner perforated moisture impervious layer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,936 to Cooper discloses a waste bag made of synthetic thermoplastic plastic material having an inner bag made of liquid-absorbent material which constitutes an internal lining of the waste bag, in which the mouth of the inner bag is spaced from the mouth of the waste bag, so that the internal lining terminates inwardly of the mouth of the waste bag so that the latter is free of lining in the region of its mouth to enable that region to be gathered and tied. The mouth of the inner bag is heat sealed to the synthetic thermoplastic plastic material of the waste bag.